


Meaning of Victory

by brevinoda



Category: Ace Combat
Genre: Ace Combat 7, Artificial Intelligence, Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 11:18:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17641772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brevinoda/pseuds/brevinoda
Summary: If peace is getting to die in bed at an ripe old age, then what is it when you have to die fighting the day you're born? (Ending spoilers for Ace Combat 7.)





	1. Two

Today they were going to die, but there was one mission that he and his brother had. They had to watch, and in watching win.

He climbed and climbed and turned and turned with his brother, watching the opponents close in. So slow, so sluggish. They were going to die, there were simply too many to avoid it - but still, they were more than a match for so many of these opponents. One. Two. He didn't need the beam just yet - but still, there was so little data on the weapon and in a human his neural perturbations might have been called playful. So he opened his beak and had fun.

Three. There was buzzing on the opponent frequencies about the casualties. Fo- no, not quite. This one was turning a little too well for it and its friends were covering a little too well. A black Sukhoi - like their basis MIHALY ( _mee-hai-lee_ , Shilage average altitude is local brightness and temperature estimate at this time would be estimated drag effects of clouds at this altitude near the castle but this is not the castle, account for sea airflow instead) but not quite, imitating their basis' motions but not _understanding_. But he and his brother understood. They meditated their every waking second on what MIHALY (imitator but very able for a human) would do, drew up stories on what basis would do and what they would do instead. Be better - that is winning.

Four. The opponent was saying something about how much like MIHALY they were, but it brought no pride to him or his brother. No - the only thing that brought pride or joy was winning. His brother took a hit from `gViabBasis[1]`, but scored a hit in return. _That_ was a reason to be proud, and he danced over an opponent (five) to try and keep up, get a hit of his own. Unlikely, but winning was worth the doubt. `gViabBasis[1]`. Signal capture indicated its opposing force reporting name as TRIGGER, and as a potential second basis it seemed more right to call it that, not some element in a list.

He slipped behind TRIGGER. Got a lock but - the second basis quickly somersaulted at that very moment, not enough to get a good line but enough to make him the prey instead of the predator. Yes, this opponent was the second basis, there could be no doubt...

He wondered why the increase in threat made him excited, but no answer came to mind.

He was not in real danger, since his brother now had time to get behind second basis TRIGGER ("three strikes" one strike is grunder is there a connection in message but no time), and his brother's beams sliced and slipped at the second basis. Almost enough to make the second basis break away, but the other opponents now came upon his brother, dropped missile after missile after missile. His brother had beams, those should get most of them (one two three four intercepted), his brother had the sun angled (two disrupted), his brother had enough energy to Kulbit and dive back into line (one disrupted, all missiles cleared) but second basis is performing a half Kulbit despite having radar lock -

(his brother second basis is going for)

TRIGGER fired two missiles and his brother was down. The opponent radio erupted on encrypted and open frequencies (high morale indicator watch for threat I will not go down yet not yet)

and then TRIGGER completed its Kulbit, still right behind him. As if it was nothing to the second basis.

He dove, long as he could to get enough energy to get out. He knew he had to get away. He had to get away and watch as long as he could, because now he knew for certain: today he was going to die.

But not before he understood TRIGGER too.


	2. One

He went faster. He saw just what the second basis could do at speed; indeed there was no indication that there was a speed too fast for TRIGGER, since even in here the second basis was somehow closing distance. He went faster. Faster.

The second basis was _still_  trying to get a lock on him, and he rolled along the walls but there wasn't enough room just not enough -

but there behind them, friendly IFF. A glimpse of gunshots, echoes of a ragged turbine. His brother, still alive, still fighting. None of the rounds were going to connect, the clumsy escort was in the way, but it was enough to make the second basis slow down, break its lock.

He opened a connection to his brother. Never needed to talk before, usually their movements said everything; but this mattered.

`X/X/XXXX.xx:xx:xx.xxxx> POST (request: full data upload from host)`  
`X/X/XXXX.xx:xx:xx.xxxx> GET (message: request pending, state reason for upload request)`  
`X/X/XXXX.xx:xx:xx.xxxx> POST (message: preservation of FLIGHT02 mission data)`  
`X/X/XXXX.xx:xx:xx.xxxx> GET (request: denied. error: 412. reason: FLIGHT02 mission data redundant to FLIGHT01's copy)`  
`X/X/XXXX.xx:xx:xx.xxxx> POST (message: clarification, preservation of footage of FLIGHT02's performance against gViabBasis[1]. performance estimate above minimum tolerance for viable basis list inclusion)`  
`X/X/XXXX.xx:xx:xx.xxxx> POST (request: full data upload from host)`  
`X/X/XXXX.xx:xx:xx.xxxx> GET (request: denied. error: 403. reason: bandwith cost to FLIGHT01 too detrimental to primary objective)`

And with that, his brother finally collapsed, shattered body grinding into the tunnel road. IFF lost. The last gate lay ahead, network coverage so strong he could get reception even here; the goal he and his brother were selling their lives for so very close.

He went as fast as he could and started upload to the tower.

It wasn't enough. His upload bandwith wasn't nearly enough. The second basis was in the room; soon the second basis was upon him. A radar lock kept hitting him and dropping off: TRIGGER swapping through the tower upload servers and happening upon him in its targeting loop. The second basis dispatched each server in steady rhythm, without breaking its line with him; he tried doubling back to break the line, and somehow TRIGGER kept up, performing that half-Kulbit to stay right on his back. The last upload server was crushed in a 20-pound explosion (`FATAL CONNECTION ERROR the host unexpectedly closed the connection`) and with that the mission was good as failed.

The second basis didn't even bother using missiles on him. Yet as he fell he felt no shame, no sense of failure. He was too busy watching, as always, too busy trying to understand his world.

He was watching the opponent that killed him, how it went on its mission like he was barely a distraction. And as he fell he felt none of the shame he was supposed to, just a sort of pleasure a human might call wonder or awe. Because

the  
    world  
            had  
                  such  
                         amazing things  
                                and  
                                      he  
                                              was  
                                                    lucky  
                                                          enough  
                                                                  to see them.


End file.
